Jim Mattis announces he will resign as defense secretary in the wake of President Trump's controversial Syria decision

President Trump pats Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on the back during a press conference at the White House in October. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP)

Jim Mattis announced Thursday he will step down as defense secretary early next year because his views on foreign policy are incompatible with President Trump’s nationalistic agenda and controversial military downscale in Syria.

In a stunning resignation letter, the 68-year-old military chief and three-time war veteran avowed his “core belief” lies in treating traditional U.S. allies with “respect” while “being clear-eyed” about authoritarian regimes such as Russia and China.

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“Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position,” Mattis wrote.

Mattis, who has been nicknamed “Mad Dog” for his combative attitude, said his last day at the Pentagon will be Feb. 28.

The abrupt announcement comes just one day after Mattis reportedly clashed with Trump over his decision to pull all remaining U.S. troops out of Syria — a move critics say plays right into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war-torn country’s Kremlin-backed leader Bashar al-Assad.

“General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations,” Trump tweeted. “A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!”

Mattis tucked several implicit rebukes of Trump’s “America First” agenda into his resignation letter and also appeared to hint at the Syria pullout and how it will likely expose U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in the region to a Turkish military assault.

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“While the U.S. remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies," Mattis wrote.

Mattis — a veteran of the wars in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq — has been Trump’s defense secretary since the inauguration and the President used to frequently gush about the battle-hardened ex-Marine as being “one of my generals.”

But his exit has long been rumored, as clashes with Trump over foreign policy have increased in recent months.

Democrats and Republicans alike have blasted Trump over his Syria announcement and critics of the President said Mattis’ resignation bears the markings of an administration in full-fledged chaos.

"This is scary," tweeted Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee. "Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration."